End to End budget bikes...

[John the Monkey]

Interesting to hear of the problem free Kontenders on other people's Giant SCRs - if I remember correctly, in Roadiewill's 250 trouble free miles, I'd have p*'d 3 times on the Kontenders, and I don't plough through glass etc willy nilly.

Obviously a city commute (which is where the bulk of my miles are done currently) has a higher risk than a tour along country roads etc (or so I'd have thought) but my personal experience of the Kontenders wouldn't encourage me to attempt a long journey with them on the bike. The other tyres I mentioned all seemed to me to roll nicely, and offer some security in the Kevlar sub-tread belt, without being overly heavy or expensive.

 

[Chiefwiggum]

My SCR 2 came with Michelin Dynamic tyres (700x25) and I found them to be pretty good, I've just swaped to Vittoria (700x23) and there may be a little less rolling resistance, possibly a perceived difference as people said I should notice one! However I did notice the bumps and surface of the road a lot more. I would think for a long ride the increased comfort of a 700x25 would be a sensible option.

 

[TimC]

Wow - thanks for all the info!!!

Much of this is way over my head - please could you explain what the figures are? (700x25 - 25c?) and their practical implications?

Basiclly I guess that I'm looking for a pair of tyres that is a compromise between rolling and damage resistance, which won't break the bank...(ahhh, the budget!)

"Overtyred" very good

 

[Tynan]

700 is your standard road bike wheel size, full size if you like

23, 25 etc refers to the width/radius so how skinny basically, road bikes generally run on 23 or 25, goes fast basically all things being equal

 

[TimC]

Riiiiiiiight! thanks.

It hadn't occurred to me to measure pressure - I come from the old school give it a pinch, slightly slacker in bad weather... Would it be worth considering a pressure gauge?

 

[Fab Foodie]

Riiiiiiiight! thanks.

It hadn't occurred to me to measure pressure - I come from the old school give it a pinch, slightly slacker in bad weather... Would it be worth considering a pressure gauge?

A descent pump is worth it's weight in gold., I'd hazard a guess that most people here had a track-pump at home with a gauge. When touring.E2E etc it's worth carrying a good pump with some way of measuring pressure. Tyres at the correct pressure not only roll better but are also comfortable and less puncture prone.
Unless you are doing a lot of high speed stuff then a good 25c tyre is the way to go. No lower rolling resistance and more comfort. If your cruising at 18mph plus then maybe a 23c on an aero rim is an advantage. Good tyres will cost best part of £40, if the budget is tight, I'd not worry unduly about the Kontenders, they'd do the job.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Rather than just a pressure guage, you might find a track pump (that incorporates a pressure guage) is a very worthwhile investment.

You can buy a Joe Blow Sport for something like 20 -30 quid. You don't need anything fancier, and you can possibly find something just as good from Lidl / Aldi / the sales, much cheaper if you are lucky.